The Wrong Alexander
by mmooch
Summary: A case of mistaken identity helps to explain the Buffy/Xander/Dawn triangle in the comics.


**The Wrong Alexander**

Summary: A case of mistaken identity helps to explain the Buffy/Xander/Dawn triangle in the comics.

Challenge: Take an idea from an HP story I read, plus a chat with JacobPhoenix; stir in Musie's twisted humor, and voila!

Timeline: ick, during the comics for BtVS, unsure for the other two. Since I haven't read the cursed things, I can only guess at the scene and how it happened. This won't be anything like it, though.

Warning: not Lex-friendly.

Thanks to my betas: none this time.

Disclaimer: BtVS and AtS characters belong to Joss Whedon / Mutant Enemy. Harry Potter characters belong to JK Rowling. Smallville characters belong to DC comics and the CW. I claim no rights to any copyrighted material. Please do not copy or take this story without my permission.

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><p><strong>The British Museum<strong>

In one of the back hallways – thankfully far enough away from the rest of the party to be overheard – a certain blonde Slayer was cursing at her best friend and little sister, "Dammit, Dawn, Xander's supposed to be mine!"

The bewildered couple pulled apart from their passionate embrace to look at their accuser. Dawn was the first one to speak up, "What are you talking about, Buffy? Since when have you thought of Xander as anything but 'one of the girls'?"

Buffy appeared confused at the question for a few moments, then shook her head, "I don't know, but- but he's my whole world!"

"As flattering as that might have been several years ago, it kinda freaks me out now," Xander remarked raising an eyebrow at the hysterical female. "Especially since last week you were okay with me asking Dawn out."

A thought came to the younger Summers female and she smacked Xander on the shoulder. "Did you cast another love spell?" Dawn demanded.

"Are you kidding?" Xander snorted incredulously. "After all the crap back in high school, then the thing with that JR guy all you girls were fawning over? There's no way I'd mess with love spells again."

"R.J." Dawn corrected absently, studying her sister intently. The blonde was sobbing about betrayal and never loving anyone again. This was not good. "Somebody's done something to her, and we need to figure out what…and quick. She might go over the edge soon."

Moving over to her sister, Dawn gently called out, "Buffy? We need to go talk to Willow. I think somebody's done a love spell."

"Really?" Buffy asked hopefully. "So this _thing_ between you and Xander isn't your fault? Somebody's making you act like that?"

Casting a stricken look at Xander, Dawn struggled for a good answer that wouldn't involve lying.

"Willow will figure it out," Xander cut in. "Let's go," he suggested before Buffy could ask anything else.

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><p><strong>Snape's classroom<strong>

**The next day…**

The potions teacher looked up from his papers when a muggle stormed into the room. Curse Malfoy for wanting to use a muggle in their war. And this man was as bad as any pureblood when it came to arrogance.

"You told me you knew what you were doing, Snape! I paid good money for that potion so I would have The Slayer under my control. Last I saw of her after the party was her friends pulling her away while she was crying hysterically. What went wrong?" the man demanded with a glare.

"As I told you, Mr. Luthor, the potion had to be ingested by Miss Summers. The only way to do that was to trick one of her girls into giving it to her. Since I couldn't use the Imperious curse on the girl, I cast a general compulsion spell on Miss Kennedy. I gave her clear instructions that as Miss Summers took her first sip, she was to say the name 'Alexander' so the potion would specific the object of Miss Summers' desire. It was so simple, _Potter_ could have managed to do it correctly," Snape replied with a sneer.

"I'll check the security tapes to see what happened, but regardless…the next time I want something from one of your people, I expect it to work as intended. Don't think that just because you're wizards that I can't kill you," Lex threatened.

After all the years of torture from Voldemort, Snape was immune to the threats of others – particularly one who needed a love spell to get a female. Still, he would enjoy the day when the Dark Lord declared Luthor had outlived his usefulness. It might be worth the risk of Dumbledore's displeasure to cast the killing curse himself to end the muggle's life.

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><p><strong>Lex's hotel room<strong>

Getting the tapes had been simple enough. Even in Europe, the Luthor name carried a lot of clout. He watched in frustration as the brunette spiked Buffy Summers' drink with the potion and handed it to her. Turning up the volume, Lex growled when the idiot muttered 'Xander' instead of the name she was supposed to. His chance for controlling one of the two Slayers was screwed up because of the nickname of a sidekick!

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><p>AN: I had intended for this to be part of my 'We Hate Xander' series, but Musie didn't cooperate when I started writing. She didn't mock or bash Xander at all!


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